The Borella Police yesterday (5) reported to the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that a suspect, who was remanded in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, had died while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital on Tuesday (4).
The deceased has been identified as Saleem Mohamed Kaleem, a resident of Church Road, Kalmunai. The Police told the court that the deceased was 42 years old.
The suspect had been admitted to the prison hospital on 23 November 2021 due to an illness. According to the Police, he had then been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on 5 December 2021 for further treatment, where he was pronounced dead on 4 January 2022.
Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekera told the media last October that all investigations carried out by the Police regarding the Easter Sunday terror attacks have now been completed.
“The Police have completed all investigations with regard to the said terror attacks and have handed over the findings to the Attorney General (AG). Accordingly, nine lawsuits are currently being heard in five high courts pertaining to the bombings,” he added.
On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala.
A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.